Never Again
by swordandplanet
Summary: Songfic to "Never Again" by Nickelback. Freddy's dad abuses his mom pretty bad. What happens when he and his just can't take it anymore?


_A/N: Yeah! I finally got this story up! It's been done for about a month now! Sorry about the length but I'd rather have it in one part than two... There's some slight F/K. I'm not to big on that pairing but he needed a girlfriend n shes my fave girl so thats how it worked out. Anyways... yeah. Hope you enjoy it. _

Disclaimer: I don't own School of Rock, the song "Never Again", or any of the teacher's names mentioned.

**Never Again**

Freddy turned up the sound of his MP3 player and adjusted his headphones. He narrowed his eyes in concentration and played his drums in time to the song he was listening to. It was his favorite song he was playing, too, so he banged his sticks with enthusiasm. His drumsticks snapped his half with the force they were being played with.

"Fuck," Freddy muttered as he got up to get another pair. He removed his headphones and burst open a drawer, shoving its contents over to the side carelessly. He shut his drawer and heard the slam of a door.

"Susan! I gotta… I wanna… I gotta talk with you," a voice called from the door. Freddy distinguished it was his father and scowled. What was so important at 9:30PM that had to be discussed with his mother?

"Yes, Rob? I'm in the kitchen!" Susan called out.

"Get your ASS over here right NOW, woman," Rob demanded angrily. "Living room!"

Freddy rushed into the hall curiously and shoved his sticks in his back pocket. He didn't like his father's icy tone. If he peered over the wall at the end of the hall, he could see the living room. He saw his mother nervously come into the living room, wiping her hands on the end of her apron. She had been washing dishes.

"What did y-you want, dear?" Susan asked shakily, standing in front of her husband.

"Don't 'dear' me," Rob sneered. He looked quite unbalanced, tipping over a bit to one side then to the other. "You took my paycheck to the bank, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Susan answered patiently. "We put both our paychecks in the bank every week and withdraw whatever we need. That's what we've always done."

"That was MY money, woman!" Rob shouted in her face. His head turned immediately red with anger. "You have no permission to touch it, woman!" Freddy felt a surge of anger to his father. His mother's name wasn't "woman".

"But we've always done that," Susan replied nervously. "For the last 15 years, we-"

Rob smacked his wife across her face brutally. "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking, woman!"

_He's drunk again, it's time to fight  
She must have done something wrong tonight_

Freddy furrowed his eyebrows. Every Sunday, he knew his father got drunk. Lately, every Sunday he added abusing his mom to go along with his drinking problem.

Tears spilled down Susan's face. "Rob… what's – what's wrong?" She clutched her face where it was starting to turn red from the smack..

Rob kicked her in the stomach and she fell into a ball on the floor. She trembled violently. "You taking my money without my consent," Rob snarled. "Now you must be punished." He kicked her arms.

_The living room becomes a boxing ring  
It's time to run when you see him clenching his hands  
She's just a woman.  
Never again_

"No, Rob! Stop," Susan pleaded. "Please, I'll get your money back. Just, please."

"NO!" Rob barked. "Now stand up, woman. So I can punish you."

"B-but please…"

"I'll get one of the guns from my cabinet and shoot your head off!" Rob pointed to the wall where there was a gleaming glass cabinet with his hunting guns. "Now get UP!"

Susan stood slowly, gulping, clutching her apron. She closed her eyes. A punch met with her nose and blood rushed furiously down her face. He scratched her arms with his pointy fingernails and new blood dripped on her body. Susan begged for him to stop, but he continued to let out his anger.

_I hear her scream, from down the hall  
Amazing she can even talk at all_

Susan screamed as her husband kicked her stomach. She clutched it and begged for him to stop; that she would get his paycheck out of the bank. He pretended not to listen and held her by her hair. Susan screamed even louder for him to stop. Then he dropped her roughly on the floor and continued kicking her.

Freddy widened his eyes with fear. If his father's foot made contact with his mom's head she could be dead…

He got up from his hiding spot and entered the living room. "What the hell are you doing?" Freddy demanded. "Leave her the fuck alone!"

_She cries to me, "Go back to bed."_

"Get away from here, boy," Rob ordered. He had been on his mother's back punching her neck. "This is none of your business."

"That's my mom you're beating up. Get off of her!" Freddy somehow restrained himself from not going to beat his father up. He kept his hands firmly on his sides and glared at his father.

"Please, Freddy, go to bed!" Susan hollered hurriedly. "Please honey. I don't want you to see- just, go."

_I'm terrified that she'll end up dead in his hands  
She's just a woman.  
Never again_

Freddy remained rooted in his spot. "No! You're going to get hurt by this stupid, fat ass."

Rob looked at Freddy with disgust. "Excuse me?"

"You heard be," Freddy spat. He wasn't afraid of Rob. Not one bit. "I called you stupid and fat."

Rob got up from his wife's back. He went to stand in front of Freddy. They were there same height; perhaps Freddy was a little taller. He was 17. Their eyes stared into each other with hatred. After Freddy turned 14, for some reason, the two never got along. His father claimed it was Freddy who changed. Freddy knew that it was his father who changed. Rob had started having a drinking problem.

"Go- to- hell," Rob whispered in Freddy's face. Freddy smelled alcohol and tobacco, another little hobby Rob decided to take up. "I don't get any respect around here."

"You don't deserve it," Freddy scowled.

Rob looked at his wife one last time in disgust and left the house. Freddy didn't care if he ever came back. He wouldn't miss him.

_I've been there before  
But not like this  
I've seen it before  
But not like this_

The boy rushed over to where his mother was sprawled on the floor and knelt in front of her. His beautiful mother, with her gorgeous china blue eyes, silky brown hair and perfect face, was now pale and covered with blood, bruises and scratches. Tears were spilling on her cheeks.

Freddy grabbed her hand. "Mom?"

Susan opened her eyes to see her son look back at her. "Freddy- I-I- he was… he was…"

"Drunk, I know," Freddy finished quietly. "Let's get you cleaned up." Susan made an effort to get up but she couldn't. Freddy felt cold. If "that man" paralyzed his mother he'd kill him…

Susan sat up, but started crying at her weakness. Freddy grabbed her waist and lifted her up as gently as he could and led her to the kitchen where he sat her on a chair. We wet a towel with cold water in the sink.

"I'm so sorry," Susan cried as she covered her face in her hands.

"It's not your fault, mom," Freddy insisted furiously as he wiped his mother's face. He went to the sink to wet it again. "He's a drunk who takes his anger out on you."

"No, I shouldn't have taken his paycheck to-"

"Don't say it's your fault," Freddy ordered. "It's not."

Susan sighed. "Every Sunday… it was just a slap across my face before going to bed and then it was over with…" Freddy remained quiet as he started wiping his mother's scratched arms. "Then on Monday he'd turn up from work with a present, thinking it made everything alright… But tonight, I don't know what happened." She started crying again.

_Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
She's just a woman  
Never again._

Freddy kissed his mother's forehead. "Mom, it's okay. One day, we'll figure out a way to make everything alright. Now go get some sleep."

Susan made an effort to get up, but she groaned and clutched her stomach where her husband kicked it. "I think… I think he-"

"What's wrong?"

"My ribs… but it'll be fine tomorrow." A forced, weak smile was plastered on her face. "I'll be up and about and-"

"He could have cracked a couple of ribs. I should take you to the hospital." Freddy rushed for his car keys hanging on the wall.

"Freddy, no! You have school tomorrow and I don't want you up late just to take me. No! It'll heal by itself. Really."

"Mom, cracked ribs don't just heal by themselves!" Freddy insisted. "Listen… let's go!"

"I'll go tomorrow," Susan promised.

"I'll take you in the morning then."

Susan let out a wry smile. "You don't want to miss school, now do you? We made a little bet."

Freddy blushed remembering the bet he made to not skip classes unless he was unbelievably sick. His prize was a car of his own. "Fine, tomorrow after school," he confirmed. He helped his mother up the winding staircase to her room and tucked her into her bed. He kissed her cheek and went to his own room.

Freddy stayed up late, to ponder on his own thoughts. What if his father beat her up during the night when he got home? What if he killed her one day? Who would he be in custody of? Staying alone with his father was the last thing he wanted to do. The only reason Freddy hadn't run away yet was because of his mother. She needed him.

Freddy looked at his alarm clock. 8:25AM. He jumped out of bed, knowing he slept in. He rushed into the shower and threw on his school uniform. He didn't even bother to put his tie on properly; the boy just slung it around his neck. Freddy spiked up his hair hastily, popped a cookie from the kitchen in his mouth, grabbed his bag and his car keys and jumped into his car.

He parked his car at the school parking lot and rushed inside the school. He checked his watch. 8:40AM. He still had a good 10 minutes to get his books.

Freddy did his locker combination effortlessly, put his bag inside and grabbed his Geography binder and textbook. The he put a pen on his ear and shut his locker. Katie, Alicia, Leonard, Marta and Zack greeted him.

"Hey." Freddy yawned.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Marta asked softly.

"Not really," Freddy replied, slipping his arm around Katie's waist and kissing her cheek.

Katie fixed his tie fondly. "Ms. Slack is going to kill you if she sees your tie like this. You know how she is."

Freddy grinned at his girlfriend. "Thanks."

Coincidentally, Ms. Slack, the school's principal, passed by the group. She scanned to see the group was wearing the entire school uniform. She was obsessed with giving out detentions for incomplete attire. Disappointment spread on her face. "Get moving," she ordered. "All of you. Class starts in 3 minutes." The clicking of her heals echoed through the hall as she rushed off.

Leonard groaned. "We've got Health," he complained, referring to him, Katie and Zack. Zack punched his shoulder lightly for reminding him.

"I'll see you guys later," Freddy said, giving Katie another peck on the cheek. Then he smiled charmingly at Alicia and Marta. He held out his arms. "Shall we?"

Marta and Alicia turned to stare at each other and giggled. "We shall," they declared together, each taking an arm. The three walked with their arms linked to their next class, Geography.

They took their usual seats: Marta and Alicia to the side, near the window, and Freddy at the back. The class snickered at how the three walked in. Freddy grinned at them.

"Boys, if you want to learn a thing or two about how to get girls, take a lesson from Mr. Jones here," Mrs. Jeffries, the young energetic Geography teacher advised. She had chuckled when she saw the three walk in. She got her pointer stick and pointed to the trio. "Now, boys, this is how you ESCORT a girl," She joked, as if the boys had never heard this word. They took down notes stupidly. "Take your seat, Romeo."

Freddy led each Alicia and Marta to their desks and kissed their hands before he took his own seat at the back. The girls in the class giggled as the blonde heart throb of the school walked back to his seat at the back with a grin on his face.

"Very nice, Mr. Jones. Now would you all kindly turn to page 128?" Mrs. Jeffries wrote the page numbers on the blackboard. "We'll be learning how to calculate population density…"

Freddy rested his elbow on the desk and put his cheek in his hand. He scribbled curly lines in the corner of his page. The class went on with him not listening.

Then the bell rang go he quickly jotted down his homework and got up, putting his pen back on his ear.

A girl with red hair went up to Freddy, blushing furiously. "Hi Freddy," she mumbled, her brown eyes widened as she looked at him. She was giggling nervously.

Freddy knew her from when Mrs. Jeffries did roll call, but that was pretty much it. "Hey Chelsea," he greeted her. She walked with him out of the class.

"I-I… I think you're a-a good…. No, wait, yeah… a g-good drummer," she managed. "I h-heard your band p-play on uhhm…. Yeah, Friday."

"Thanks," Freddy thanked with a smile. She was referring to his long time band, School of Rock "I knew I saw red hair somewhere in the audience on Friday."

Chelsea blushed and giggled nervously again. "Can I… Can I add you? On um… MSN?"

Freddy looked at her confusedly. Add him? "What? Oh yeah! Sure." He scribbled his email on a scrap of paper from his binder.

"Oh my… oh my God. Thank you so much!" She mumbled with her eyes on the paper.

"I gotta head to my next class. I'll see you later." Freddy walked over to his locker. His next class was Chemistry. Katie was the only person from the band in this class so they always waited at each other's lockers before the start of it.

"Got some fans, I see," Katie noticed with a grin.

Freddy opened his locker. "Yup," he said tiredly grabbing his stuff. He took Katie's hand and they walked hand in hand. "'Cause, you know, I've still got my irresistible charm."

Today for Chemistry, Mr. Branch had them to copy down notes from the textbook.

"You can talk while copying down notes, but remember the 30 centimeter rule!" He reminded for at least the 200th time that month. "Don't talk over 30 centimeters. We don't want people shouting at each other across the class. Now get with a partner. There aren't enough of these textbooks. No more than three to a group." Mr. Branch wrote down the pages for them to copy on the board.

Katie and Freddy shoved their desks together so they could be partners. Freddy opened the textbook with a yawn.

"What's wrong, Freddy? You're so tired today," Katie asked worriedly.

Freddy scanned his mind for a lie. He hated doing this to Katie. She trusted him with so many things. "I banged my drums all night and now I'm tired," he fibbed.

Katie raised an eyebrow at him. "You bang your drums every night, Jones. And you never get tired. Fess up." Freddy looked at Katie uncertainly and bit his lip. She understood something happened to him. "What happened, Freddy?" Katie asked, holding his hand under their desks.

"Nothing. Really," Freddy replied unconvincingly

The boy decided he could trust Katie. He always had and didn't know why this stopped him. The boy could even trust her with his life. He loved Katie.

He told her about how every Sunday, his father would arrive home drunk and find a reason to slap his mom. But how last night he beat her up badly come. Katie's eyes widened in fear, thinking about Freddy and his mother's safety.

Katie met Freddy's parents before. Her mother and Freddy's mother were close friends. But regrettably, Freddy's father didn't approve of the girl very much.

"A girl who plays rock music?" Rob had snarled. "You're girlfriend is trash." Freddy only didn't punch him because his mother pleaded him not to.

"So is your mom alright?" Katie whispered. Mr. Branch looked over sternly at her, noticing she wasn't doing any work. He cleared his throat, and she pretended to scribble down notes from the textbook.

Freddy grinned, doing the same. He squeezed her hand under the desks. When Mr. Branch wasn't looking, he continued, "I'm taking her to the doctor's tonight. I think her ribs are cracked."

"We've got band practice tonight," Katie murmured, not looking up from the page she was making her notes on. Mr. Branch wouldn't look away from her. "So you want me to cover you?"

Freddy had forgotten completely about band practice. "Crap… Uh yeah, would you?" He didn't think Dewey would mind if he missed one practice.

"No problem. Oh my God! Does Branch have a staring problem?" Katie asked angrily. Mr. Branch was still eyeing her closely to make sure she was doing work. "I wanna tell him off so badly…"

Freddy chuckled and started copying the stuff down. The bell rang and the two hurried to lunch.

"So I'm like, 'Yeah okay, Eminem is going to be SUCH a major classic rock figure. Considering he plays so much rock music!'" Zack finished off sarcastically. Katie and Freddy squeezed into the crowded table. It was mostly people of the band. "And he's like 'Bite me!' and I told him 'Screw you'… That got the guy pissed off so-"

"Language, Mooneyham!" Ms. Slack scolded. She scanned the table for anyone with incomplete uniforms. Her eyes landed on Freddy and she narrowed them. Freddy glared back at her. The two had only spent so many wonderful afternoons together in the Detention Hall.

Then the Principal walked away, her heels clicking on the floor.

"What a bitch," Freddy mumbled as he watched her march out of the Cafeteria. "No wonder she isn't married."

"Give her credit," Zack said, cheering up his friend. "She's probably banged more girls than you." The group's laughter was interrupted with the warning bell.

Freddy grabbed Katie's hand as they all headed towards their lockers. Freddy had World History with Leonard and Zack. Katie had Computer/Technology with Marta and Alicia. The girls hurried off to their classroom.

Freddy entered the Mrs. Vittiglio's class lazily. She had an Italian flag plastered in front of her desk to show her heritage. She made the class do the same by putting the flag on the front of their binders. Freddy's British flag was torn, ripped and scribbled on.

"…song at today's practice!" Zack continued the conversation as the three boys made their way to the back. "It's going to be amazing. We still haven't practiced the song all together yet."

"And Freddy has a wicked cool drum line," Leonard piped in taking his seat on Zack's right. Freddy was on Zack's left. "It's going to be DA BOMB."

"Okay, everyone here? Good!" Mrs. V began, going to the front of the class. "Let's turn to Chapter 14. Page, uh… 128. I think. I want you to examine the map. Look familiar?"

"I might not be going," Freddy replied nervously.

"Why not?" Zack demanded.

"NO! It's only the map of where we live in!" Mrs. V. exclaimed. "North America? "We're going to be reviewing … the colonies of…" the teacher's voiced trailed off, then stopped completely.

"You're bailing out on practice?" Leonard exclaimed, only realizing what Zack said now.

"Yeah, uh… sorry."

Mrs. V. was always interrupted with people talking. She did what usually made the class quiet: she went to the door and slammed it shut. CA-POOM! The students, being startled, jumped and turned their attention to her. "If you think you're in this class to goof off and talk to your friends, you're WRONG! Move now if you're tempted to talk to your neighbor." Nobody moved an inch. "Good. Now if you turn to page 128, we'll be reviewing the colonies that were disputed between France and England in the 1700's…" Mrs. Vittiglio scribbled notes on the board.

Mrs. V. was by far Freddy's favorite teacher. She was a great teacher and had a motherly aura to her. Mrs. V. also took a liking to Freddy. He always made her smile and joked around with her. She always thought Freddy was a bright student, but he just didn't give any effort to do work.

Freddy busied himself by taking out a sheet of paper and started designing a drum set, a hobby he always enjoyed.

"Why aren't you coming?" Zack whispered to Freddy.

"I'm taking my mom to the doctor's," Freddy answered absentmindedly, shading in some shadows to the snare drum. Then he froze. He wasn't quite ready to tell his friends about how his at home situation.

"Dude, everything alright?" Zack asked concernedly. Leonard paid attention, too.

Freddy scanned his mind for lies. "Yeah! Uh… She's got just a- um… CHECK up. But… you see, my dad… he has the jeep this afternoon… so uh yeah, I gotta take her," he answered sheepishly.

"But the clinic's only a couple of blocks away from your house," Leonard replied unconvinced.

"No, well it's at the uh… specialist. She uh, went for her… umm, checkup already. But yeah, they uh, want to, you know, uh- make sure she's all well and crap." Freddy let out a sigh of relief as Leonard and Zack nodded their heads in understanding.

Freddy went back to his drum set, adding a shiny effect to his rims and his cymbals.

"Freddy?" Mrs. V. called. "FREDDY!" She threw chalk at the boy and the class started snickering. Freddy looked up cluelessly. "Mr. Jones! I asked what was the importance of 'The Plains of Abraham' battle!"

"Mrs. V… come on! Do I look like the guy who'd know?" Freddy complained. "And why do you gotta throw chalk at me? TEACHER abuse, Mrs. V. I'm telling you!" The class laughed.

The teacher smiled and placed her hand on Freddy's shoulder. "Freddy, Mrs. V. knows you're tired. Get some sleep tonight! Then maybe tomorrow I won't throw chalk at you."

Freddy smirked. "So I don't have to answer the question?"

"You most certainly do!"

Freddy groaned. "Okay, well it was in Canada…"

"Yes, go on."

"I don't know anymore…" He changed the subject to avoid answering the question. "But Mrs. V. I thought Canada was a peacemaking country and crap! What happened?"

"Well, Canada isn't all that innocent, Freddy!" Mrs. Vittiglio explained, wiping her chalk dust filled hands on her long skirt. "When it was known as "New France" it had a lot of war."

"Damn Canadians," Freddy mumbled.

Mrs. V's hearty laugh filled the classroom and the bell rang to end class. "Get out of here!" She ordered. "And Freddy, DO consider getting some sleep."

"Alright Mrs. V," Freddy said, gathering up his books.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, Mrs. V! See ya!" Freddy hurried out of the classroom. The last class the boy had was Philosophy. He only took the class because he needed the credit to graduate. He didn't have any of his band friends in this class, which didn't make the class any better. He lazily walked in with his binder and textbook at his side. He strolled to the back of the classroom to his usual seat. Then he began to chat with the guys around him before class began.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Hartfield, the Philosophy teacher, announced, clapping his hands twice. "We've got work to be done. I'm going to put some questions on the board and I want you to copy them down and answer them in your perspective."

Freddy groaned. Why had he taken Philosophy? He opened his binder to the next fresh sheet and copied down the questions, the last one being, "How did the season 'Spring' get its name?"

To get out of writing, Freddy threw his arm in the air and asked to use the washroom. Mr. Hartfield looked skeptically at Freddy and told him to hurry back. Freddy grinned at his friends who started pouting that they had to stay and work. Freddy stepped into the hall and began a walk around the school, passing the library, the cafeteria, the other classes, tech shop, the office, and so on.

He was in the hall with the gymnasium. He heard a teacher counting loudly in time, adding some encouragement.

"34, 35…Come on, Parker! Pick up the pace!" Mrs. Nadon, one of the gym teachers, called out. "38, 39, 40…Cardoso, stop complaining, just keep going. 44, 45, 46, Good, Brown. Good work.49, 50, 51…" Freddy hurried down to the gym. He remembered Katie was in that class.

Freddy got to the door and peered through the window. He saw the class in a line across the gym facing the teacher. They were doing jumping jacks to old disco music. He saw Katie with a grin on her face, doing her jumping jacks. She was a bit flushed and her forehead was glistening from the sweat. Freddy's heart skipped a beat when he saw her and he grinned.

He thought she was looking pretty good in black short-shorts and a tight hot pink top. Her hair was in a messy bun, with pieces hanging by her face because of the jumping. Katie saw him and her grin grew. She mouthed a, "Hey," while he did the same. Her eyebrows rose, asking him why he wasn't in class. Freddy grinned and began pretending he was skipping with an invisible rope. She understood it to be skipping and laughed.

Freddy felt someone tap his shoulder behind him. He turned around to see Ms. Slack eyeing him with her arms crossed in front of her. "Nice to see you enjoy a favorite hobby among ten year old girls," she snarled. "Now what are you doing out of class?"

"I went to the washroom," Freddy murmured coolly. He kept his tone calm. Today wasn't the day to get detention. He had to take his mom to the clinic and all.

"You have a horrible sense of direction then, Mr. Jones, seeing as there aren't any washrooms in this hall." Ms. Slack had a triumphant smirk on her face. "Now get back to class before I give you a detention. Freddy scowled and headed back to class, thinking of at least a hundred good comebacks for Ms. Slack he could have used. He was going as slow as possible to avoid more class. He came quietly into the classroom and took his seat at the back, doodling instead of doing his philosophy questions. Barely 5 minutes passed when the bell rang. He propped a pen on his left ear and hurried to his locker, throwing his homework into his bag.

Katie was hurrying over to him, still in her gym clothes. She had a small towel slung around her neck. "I'm so sorry for getting you in trouble!" She apologized. She was still panting from the Gym class. "I didn't even know she was there and…"

"Hey don't worry about it!" Freddy interrupted. "She just told me to get back to class and that's it."

"Oh," Katie replied, taken back that Ms. Slack didn't take advantage of giving Freddy another detention. She smiled. "Good then."

Freddy took Katie's hand. "So you'll cover for me at practice?" He murmured so only she could hear.

Katie nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I'll say you scratched some Metallica CD from a tragic accident and that you need time to mourn." Freddy smiled wryly at her while she grinned back. "I'll think of something. Don't worry." She glanced at her watch. "You better get going. It's close to 3:30."

"Yeah, okay," Freddy said. He kissed her forehead. "Thanks, again."

"No prob. Later Jones." Katie trotted off while Freddy headed for one of the doors. He jumped into his car and headed home.

"Hey Mom!" Freddy called as he walked through the front door. "I'm home!" He found his mother lying on the couch watching TV.

She smiled as she saw her son. "Hi honey. School go well?"

Freddy sat on the arm rest of the couch by his mother's feet. "Same old bull," he answered cheerfully.

"Freddy," Susan warned.

Freddy grinned. "Sorry. You feeling better?"

"I'm afraid not. I had quite a lot of trouble getting downstairs and I …." Susan stopped talking when she Freddy's grin fading. "Freddy this will get better! Just give it time! Maybe we won't have to go to the clinic after all…" Susan smiled weakly.

"Mom, don't be stupid. Broken ribs have to be tended to," Freddy said firmly. "I'm taking you to the clinic."

"No Freddy… I really don't think it's-"

"Mom, let's GO!" Freddy ordered. He helped her up and helped her to slip on some shoes. Then he assisted her to his car and they were at the clinic.

Freddy kept his arm around his mother's waist because she was still pretty weak. He walked with his mother to a seating area where a nurse gave him a clipboard to fill out some information on his mom.

"What's wrong with your girlfriend?" The nurse asked warmly.

"That's my mom," Freddy answered in a "Are-you-on-crack?" tone. His mother beamed at the compliment.

The nurse apologized with a laugh. She asked Susan where she felt the most pain.

"About here," Susan answered, rubbing her ribs.

The nurse, who had a clipboard of her own, and wrote down where the injury was. "This just helps the doctor what the patient's there for. It's just quicker so he'll get right to the job," the nurse answered Freddy's curious glance. She asked a couple more questions about the pain of the wound and such. The nurse also wrote down how she observed there were bruises and scratches on her arms, face and legs.

The nurse looked over at the next question. "Okay, and how did you get this injury?"

_Just tell the nurse you slipped and fell  
It starts to sting as it starts to swell_

Freddy raised his eyebrows. "Please don't tell her what happened, mom," Freddy begged desperately in his mind. "Don't tell her you got abused. They'll take dad away. I don't want to look like an idiot with a split up family. Don't tell!"

Susan read her son's mind. "I uh… I slipped down the stairs," she lied.

The nursed cocked an eyebrow. "Come now, unless you fell off the stairs of the Eiffel Tower I'd believe you," she replied. "Tell me the truth. What happened?"

"I fell down the stairs," Susan repeated.

_She looks at you she wants the truth  
It's right out there in the waiting room  
With those hands   
Lookin just as sweet as she can  
Never again_

"You're sure there's nothing going on at home, maybe?" The nurse asked gently. She glanced at Freddy. "Surely, these cuts and bruises couldn't be from just stairs." She held onto Susan's shoulder. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Don't be afraid. I can help you."

Susan was biting her lip. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Freddy could see that his mother was on the verge of slipping their secret.

"No, everything's fine," he emphasized firmly. "She fell down the stairs. That's it."

The nurse sighed sadly, knowing this wasn't the whole truth. "Alright, the doctor can see you in room six."

Freddy was about to grab his mother's waist again, but the nurse immediately found a wheelchair. "This might help," she offered with a wink.

"That doctor took for fucking ever!" Freddy said angrily as he was driving home from the clinic with his mom at his side. "One fucking hour in a fucking room. Shit man…"

"Freddy, come on. I really hate it when you swear," Susan pleaded. "At least TRY to make an effort to cut down on it."

"Sorry," Freddy mumbled.

"On the bright side, the nurse was really nice," Susan said cheerfully. "She was great."

"And on the OTHER bright side, you have like 4 broken ribs, major bruising and infections starting in your cuts," Freddy said in a sarcastic cheerful voice. "It's all GREAT, right?"

_I've seen it before  
But not like this  
I've been there before  
But not like this  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad_

"It'll get better Freddy," Susan pressed on firmly. Freddy pulled into the driveway.

"Shit," he murmured. "Dad's home…"

Susan didn't even scold Freddy for swearing. She opened her eyes fearfully. She took a deep breath. Her husband had threatened to kill her the next time he came home without a dinner ready.

_She's just a woman  
Never again._

"He's going to kill me," she gasped.

"Mom, relax," Freddy soothed, helping her to the door. "He won't kill you as long as I'm around."

Susan's fearful eyes looked into Freddy's firm ones. She kissed his cheek, and opened the door.

"SUSAN! IS THAT FUCKING YOU?" Rob screeched from the living room. "Living room- NOW!"

Susan swallowed bravely. Freddy squeezed her hand. He followed and stopped at the wall dividing the hall and the living room and peered over it.

"Y-y-yes dear," Susan stuttered in almost a whisper.

"Don't DEAR me!" Rob shouted. "Where's my dinner?" Susan whispered something that Freddy wasn't able to hear. "You weren't HOME? Where were you, bitch?"

"At the clinic," Susan squealed.

Rob's immediately voice softened. "Did I HURT you yesterday?"

"Um… yes."

"Aw… I'm So-wee," Rob said in a mocking voice. Freddy narrowed his eyes in disgust behind his wall. "I'll GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO GO TO THE CLINIC ABOUT HOE-BAG!" A loud slap and a crash implied that Rob smacked Susan so hard she fell to the floor. Freddy looked in horror as Rob kicked his mother where she cracked her ribs and muttered threats between each kick.

"I –WILL – GET - MY – GUNS –AND – I –WILL – SHOOT – YOUR – FACE – OFF!" Rob screeched, kicking in between the words.

Anger built inside Freddy. He felt like a volcano ready to explode. Too late… he was exploding.

Freddy ran from his hiding spot and dashed into the living room. He pushed his father with all his might. His father landed with a thud against the wall.

"What the fuck are you doing you asshole?" Freddy bellowed. "You're such a friggin homo that takes anger out an US." Rob was surprised by Freddy's sudden outburst. "We're a fucking FAMILY… but you ruined it. You ruin everything you fatass jerk."

"Freddy! Don't get involved!" Susan pleaded. "Please! Go to your room. Go to Zack's or Katie's house. Don't get into this…" Tears were streaming down her face as she sobbed.

There was a crystal dolphin on the fireplace. Rob grabbed it and threw it at Freddy's face. Susan screamed, terrified. Luckily, Freddy ducked at the right moment. The sound of the shattering crystal echoed through the house. Freddy shoved his father against the wall angrily.

Rob grabbed Freddy grabbed by his shirt collar and put him against a wall. "Now listen here, FREDERIK," Rob murmured dangerously calm. Freddy could smell stale tobacco and alcohol mixed together. If his father wasn't going to kill him by beating him up, he'd die from suffocating. "I am your FATHER. I GIVE you all the stuff you own. I SOMEWHAT accept you and your stupid little band. Now RESPECT me. I AM your father!" Rob didn't seem to notice that he repeated the same thing twice.

_Father's a name you haven't earned yet  
You're just a child with a temper._

"You're NOT my father. You were NEVER my father," Freddy replied in a voice just as dangerously calm. "You were never there for me, ass. Not ONE time. You don't deserve to be called my father."

Rob chuckled, still holding Freddy against the wall. "Must have been your trashy little girlfriend that brainwashed you. At least she's hot… You probably use her to bang her."

This really got to Freddy. A lot. He was breathing deeply and quickly. Katie was one of the only good parts about his life. He wasn't going to let his father call her "trashy" or "hot". And Freddy had never done such a thing as have sex with Katie. He didn't want to screw up the perfect relationship they had going already.

_Haven't you heard don't hit a lady  
Kicking your ass would be a pleasure_

Freddy kneed his 'father' in between his legs. "DON'T FUCKING SAY KATIE'S TRASH!" Freddy bellowed as his father fell to the floor gripping his balls in pain. "AND DON'T FUCKING TOUCH MY MOM EVER AGAIN!" Freddy wanted to punch Rob right then and there for ruining his mom's life. He wanted to give all the beatings Rob deserved for every argument they had.

Freddy was pretty sure that Rob was too much in pain so he walked over to where his mother was sprawled on the floor. She was majorly grieving at that moment, perhaps close to losing her mind. She looked like she dunked her face in a bucket of water. She was even having difficulty breathing from crying so much.

"Mom?" Freddy whispered gently. He crouched down beside her and wiped the hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed.

_He's drunk again, it's time to fight  
The same old shit just on a different night_

"Yes?" She slowly opened her eyes. Relief flooded Freddy, seeing as she was at least still alive. Her eyes opened fearfully. "FREDDY! TURN AROUND! HE'S GOT A KNIFE!"

Freddy turned around and saw his father stagger toward him. He had a crazy grin to match his wild eyes as he was holding up a knife.

Freddy dodged his father every time. The boy was grateful for his fast reflexes. His father kept on trying to stab him. Finally, the knife met contact with his arm. Freddy got a cut from his elbow to his wrist. Susan screamed so loud that Freddy hoped the neighbors would hear and call the police.

"FUCK YOU!" Freddy said, his arm throbbing, slowly going number and number. "AND YOU WANT ME TO CALL YOU MY FATHER? GO TO HELL!"

This comment really got to Rob so he jumped at Freddy. Freddy moved, but not fast enough. He got another cut on his shoulder, deeper than the one on his arm.

Freddy felt like a helpless boy. He wanted to cry and tell Rob 'to please stop hurting him'. Freddy wanted to just run into his mother's arms like he used to when he got a knee scrape. But he wasn't going to give his father this satisfaction. He grasped his father's knife and threw it into another room so no one would get hurt.

Freddy bent over with his hands on his knees, watching blood trickle down his jeans He gasped for air, feeling himself getting numb from blood loss.

"Freddy!" Susan screeched, the loudest she could. "FREDDY!" She was traumatized for life now, to see her son like that. She couldn't take it anymore. She dragged herself on her stomach with her elbows to the gun cabinet while her husband was cursing Freddy to stand up and to fight like a man.

Susan opened the gun cabinet door all in one reflex. Her husband turned around to see the gun pointing to him. He widened his eyes for the first time that night in fear.

"MOM! NO!" Freddy called.

_She grab's the gun, she's had enough  
Tonight she'll find out how fucking tough is__this man  
Pulls the trigger as fast as she can_

But she didn't listen. She closed her eyes, pulled the trigger and shot her husband. BANG. Rob fell to his back, his eyeballs rolled back and his tongue hanging out. Susan had shot him just over his heart, where blood was pouring out like a fountain.

Susan fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. She placed the gun beside her. "I can't believe I… I just killed a… Rob!"

Freddy couldn't believe it either. His MOM just killed a PERSON. It was as if she was a stranger to him. But then he saw hew sobbing on her knees and knew she needed him now more than ever.

Freddy fell to his knees beside her. He put his arm comfortingly around his mom. "Mom… Don't worry. It's all over. He'll never hurt you again…" He rocked back and forth with her and kissed her forehead.

"Freddy! Your shoulder!" Susan shrieked. "I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible mother."

"It'll be fixed up. Don't worry," he soothed. "It's all over now."

_I've seen it before  
But not like this  
I've been there before  
But not like this  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
She's just a woman  
Never again._


End file.
